The message from Joe Lstiburek’s fifth annual “Twitterview” that got the most retweets was his statement that, “Passivhaus is the only place where real innovation is happening.” Considering that statement caught the most attention, GreenBuildingAdvisor.com investigated the claim. To begin with, it’s worth noting that the Passivhaus program has not certified many projects and only […]
Fertilizer Spreaders: The Different Types
When purchasing a fertilizer spreader, one might be surprised at the variety of options. Fortunately, while the settings and method of distributing fertilizer will change depending on the spreader, a typical bag of fertilizer will have instructions for each type. The most popular type of spreader is the walk-behind broadcast spreader, which is designed to […]
Fall Lawn Care: Removing Branches and Limbs
As fall comes before winter, fall is conveniently an excellent time to clean up your yard in preparation for winter. One project in particular that fall is well suited for is removing branches and even limbs from trees that are in need of shaping or have been struck by disease. For a limb over six […]
Shortage of Lots Slows Housing Recovery
The latest survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that one of the key factors holding back the recovery of the housing market is in fact a shortage of actual lots to be built on in desirable areas. Of the builders questioned for the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index in August, 59 […]
Single-Family Starts Save the Day
Pushed forward by a 7 percent increase in single-family housing starts, housing starts overall rose 0.9 percent in August despite an 11 percent fall in multifamily starts. While multifamily homes did fall in August, that marks the fourth falling month in 2013, with four rising months to go with them. The single-family increase was reflected […]
Serenbe: A Green Town in the Making
Serenbe is a community created by Steve Nygren, located thirty miles to the southwest of Atlanta, Georgia. Made to be an example of what green development can accomplish, the Serenbe town development spans 1000 acres. Nygren and other developers took about 62 square miles of that space and created a municipality, the City of Chattahoochee […]
Using Trees, Outside and In
Essayist Charles Dudley Warner once wrote that until he saw the Annapolis at low tide, he had not realized that water was as important to the looks of a river as trees are to a landscape. With this in mind, landscape architect Thomas Church realized how important trees can be to a yard, and also […]
Spray Foam Insulation Does Not Work with All HVAC Systems
This article was inspired by a letter to GreenBuildingAdvisor.com in which a person complained that their contractor had purposefully left holes open to the outside amidst a spray foam installation in the attic. Some investigation revealed that the holes were left in order to provide air to the atmospheric combustion furnaces that warmed the house, […]
USGBC Predicts Green Building to Represent Half U.S. Construction
The latest report from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED in Motion, shows that green building might represent more than half of all residential and commercial construction as soon as 2016. This report, the first of three planned reports in the LEED in Motion series, focuses primarily on individuals and organizations employing green building, specifically […]
Maybe It’s Time for More Regulation and Disclosure Requirements
Although Jeff Kida is of the opinion that the government rarely steps into the private sector to make things better unless they’re fixing their own previous mistake, his recent experiences with his kitchen & bath design firm have left him wondering if increased government regulations might not be just what the industry needs. His issue […]